Case Studies
From Fragmentation to Excellence: Unifying IT for a Provincial Revenue Ministry
Background
Following a government restructuring, the Province of British Columbia consolidated all technology teams supporting revenue-related systems from multiple Ministries into a single new entity: the Ministry of Small Business and Revenue. Each team brought its own tools, processes, and operating structures, resulting in fragmented operations and inconsistent business outcomes.
At the same time, the Ministry committed to outsourcing revenue collection, which included transitioning the IT revenue teams under a managed services arrangement. This agreement required the continued use of existing unionized government staff while delivering higher levels of service—a complex challenge akin to delivering “more for less” in a high-stakes public environment.
Our Approach
To address this challenge, we designed and led a comprehensive multi-year transformation program governed at the executive level and focused squarely on business outcomes.
The approach began with interviews of key executive stakeholders to define and prioritize success metrics. A suite of leading and lagging KPIs was developed to track progress and inform monthly governance reviews.
Each operational capability was assessed based on its impact on outcomes and the effort required to improve it. This resulted in the prioritization of seven major transformation streams:
- Service Desk Transformation
- Server and Network Infrastructure Transformation
- Project Delivery Transformation
- Operations and Team Structure Transformation
- Business Analysis and Requirements Management
- Testing Transformation
- Development and Configuration Management
Up to four component projects were run concurrently, with priorities continuously reviewed and adjusted to maximize the realization of business outcomes.
Transformation Streams
1. Service Desk Transformation
Selected as a top priority due to its direct impact on client experience, this initiative implemented ITIL-aligned service desk processes, deployed a modern ticketing system, and provided comprehensive training to support staff. The improvements were tangible and immediate.
2. Infrastructure Transformation
The Ministry was still operating on legacy, dedicated servers. This project virtualized server infrastructure and migrated workloads to a secure, tier-1 data center—improving performance, scalability, and disaster recovery capabilities.
3. Project Delivery Transformation
At program inception, no standardized project delivery framework or PMO existed. We implemented an enterprise project management office, introduced standardized templates and governance models, and trained staff in project leadership roles. A robust intake process was created to align initiatives with cost, scope, and strategic value, supported by an enterprise PM tool to manage resources, time tracking, and invoicing under the outsourced model.
4. Operations and Team Structure Transformation
We restructured siloed ministry-specific teams into cross-functional units that delivered standardized services across the organization. This required significant organizational change management, as new methodologies, roles, and ITIL processes were introduced. Despite initial resistance from some team members, investment in staff engagement and change champions enabled the teams to self-regulate and embrace the transformation.
5. Business Analysis and Requirements Management
This initiative established consistent, traceable requirements management practices using industry-leading tools. Business analysts were enabled to define and validate detailed requirements, leading to better scoping, accurate effort estimation, and automatic generation of test scenarios. The outcome was improved alignment between business needs and solution delivery.
6. Testing Transformation
We created a centralized enterprise test team with standardized templates and repeatable processes. A test lead and dedicated testers were brought in to ensure every project included a comprehensive test strategy, plan, and execution record. A web-based dashboard enabled real-time visibility for sponsors and executives into testing progress and outcomes.
7. Development and Configuration Management
To support sustainable software delivery, we introduced configuration management tools and standards that allowed multiple developers to collaborate without conflict. The system included full audit trails, version control, and quality assurance processes, ensuring robust governance across environments.
Results
The three-year transformation program delivered measurable improvements after each phase.
Key outcomes included:
- Standardization of services and processes
- Improved work quality and delivery consistency
- Significantly increased project management maturity
- Efficient resource utilization and cost neutrality under the outsourcing agreement
By program completion, the organization’s delivery capability had matured from CMMi Level 1 to Level 3, enabling sustainable operations and successful outcomes in a highly complex public sector environment.